PGA rookie Gardiner in unfamiliar territory at Wells Fargo

Friday

May 3, 2013 at 9:58 PM

Scott Gardiner is in striking distance of leader Phil Mickelson after the second round of play in Charlotte, N.C.

By ERIC BOYNTONeric.boynton@shj.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Scott Gardiner took a seat in a most unfamiliar setting Friday afternoon at the Quail Hollow interview room reserved for those few at or near the top of the Wells Fargo Championship leaderboard.“Probably nobody's more surprised than I am,” Gardiner said during a brief opening statement.Why are you so surprised?“Have you seen my resume this year,” he responded, laughing. “I played well at Sony (15th at the season opener in January) and that was my first tournament as a PGA Tour player. I got a false impression. These guys are good. I'm not going to lie.”The 37-year-old Australian, the first professional golfer of aboriginal descent, let loose with another batch of throaty guffaws that would continue throughout the question and answer session featuring a self-deprecating persona that truly feels blessed to be in such unchartered waters.Those can rarely get deeper for the veteran of a mere 12 PGA events than today's pairing with leader Phil Mickelson in the final group after Gardiner matched Lefty with Friday's lowest round of 5-under 67 to trail the hall of famer by two shots.“It's really a treat to play on such a great golf course,” Gardiner said. “I've watched this tournament for many years and it's great to be out here on the PGA Tour and to play some good golf is nice too.”Gardiner recalled saying in his official Tour bio that he'd be “stacking shelves” if he wasn't playing golf for a living. “But my wife probably wouldn't let me do that. It would be something involved in golf, it's the thing I have the most knowledge of.”This weekend could be one heck of an addition to his lousy 2013 resume that so promisingly began with that tie for 15th in Hawaii has since included nine missed cuts in 11 starts (including his last eight) with ties for 50th and 73rd. Prior to Thursday's opening 2-under 70 he hadn't broken par for 15 consecutive rounds.“Agony” Gardiner said when asked what his expectations were entering this week.“But if I won that would be incredible. I just want to play two more good rounds and it's going to be a thrill. I'm doing what I love doing and to do it with some of the best players in the world when you have a great atmosphere it gets your adrenaline going.”It's not like Gardiner's entire career has been void of success it's just that he's yet to achieve at the highest level. He toiled eight long years on the Nationwide Tour (now called Web.com) and earned nearly $1.2 million in 199 career events. He finished on the brink of the top 25 on the money list that would've earned him PGA status multiple times, including 2010 when missed out by $2,010 in finishing No. 26. A win Sunday would be worth nearly $1.2 million.“I enjoyed every minute of (his years on the Nationwide),” he said. “I had a few close calls, think I was in the top 30 three out of four years, but I took that as me playing well. The year I finished 26th I won (his only) tournament and I thought that was a step forward as opposed to I'd been deprived of something because that was all I knew. I didn't know what was out there.”He moved to Arkansas in 2007 where he'd met his wife a few years earlier at a concert while in town for a tournament.“It was rare because I don't really go out very often,” Gardiner said. “But the Fort Smith tournament puts on a pretty good show and has good bands. My roommate took us out and she didn't remember me the first night I met her. The next night — hey, how are you doing? — and then we just stayed in contact. It was a band called The Clocks and they did everything from UB40 to country and western.”Now it's Gardner who will be center stage for the first time as a PGA competitor.